This is not a spoiler, so you can now take a deep breath. I am not going to rate the new Guardians Of The Galaxy film here either, which essentially becomes a spoiler because it can manipulate expectations of a movie. A side rant, I get annoyed at this. The day after a movie debuts my timeline feed gets inundated with tons of post-movie reviews. Some of them try not to spoil the film by avoiding specific content but most of the blogs still spoil the movies I desire to see but have not had the ability to see at midnight on Thursdays, which is when most of the major blockbusters debut these days. These movie review blogs spoil the films for me by just sharing their opinion of the film as a whole, thus painting my perception. This is why I now avoid movie review sites like Rotten Tomatoes. I see no good in movie review sites now. So I basically have to stay off social media (which is a futile endeavor) or avoid certain outlets until I see the movie I was looking oh so forward to seeing, just not on midnight on Thursdays. Some of us do like to sleep and be up before noon the next day. Okay, rant over. This blog is just about a character in the movie that I felt drawn to. He is one that seemed to have so much joy and laughed seemingly endlessly. His story is not even a B story in the movie because he is such a simple character, yet, his transformation and happiness is undeniable. Out of all the action scenes, jokes, and story that GOTG vol. 2 gave me I felt the most impacted by Drax The Destroyer.
When we first meet Drax in GOTG vol.1 he is a broken man full of rage and bent on revenge. We all know the reason why, and if not I pity you because vol. 1 is a great movie. Drax believes that the only way to restore joy in his heart is to avenge the deaths of his entire family, which was slain at the hands of Ronan. When the then just barely formed Guardians meet Drax he is in prison, angry, and a seemly mindless monster, in some ways. When I think of this to then where we see him in vol. 2 from the start I can not help but see the progress of the character, on the inside of himself. Drax transforms from a rage monster, to a funny rage monster, to a person with infectious joy and contentment by the jump off of vol. 2. After watching the second movie and thinking about how Drax was able to achieve such happiness amidst pain I could not help but think over his character and see where the Guardians Of The Galaxy writers were trying to share a subtle little side story about how to attain happiness in a world full of disappointment and pain, from every day life. I believe they figured it out and I have taken the sermon all the way in now after two movies.
Drax believed that killing Ronan would give him satisfaction in the first movie. I think it was a great touch in the first film to have Ronan not even recognize Drax when they re-met, this is symbolic as to communicate that seeking revenge and holding onto anger is an ultimately fruitless endeavor. After Ronan eventually gets his just do via the team effort of the Guardians Drax then shifts his attention to killing the main villain that is regularly revisited throughout the Marvel Infinity Wars story, Thanos. The notion of killing Thanos comes across as futile, a waste of time, and ultimately ridiculous by how the writers portray Drax's ambition. But his desire is very logical. Who would not want to destroy everyone that is responsible for the deaths of your loved ones? But to this logical ambition the GOTG writers have seemed to have proverbially said, "To what end will revenge take us? Will it end in anything but more pain?" In vol. 2 it is clear that Drax is content with how life is going for him. He enjoys the adventures that the team goes on, and it seems the more random and perilous are the missions and adventures the better for his heart's desire. In fact, I cannot remember him talking once about Thanos, though I could have missed it. It seems as though in vol. 2 Drax has found his way in losing it, ironically.
I left viewing GOTG vol. 2 feeling like I was in some ways Drax but I could not fully realize why. I mean, who would not want to be an epic super strong alien traveling the universe with a motley crew of pseudo space pirates gone hero, right? No, that was not the reason why. Like Drax there was a happiness in me, right in the here and now and less of a worry about tomorrow's challenges and uncertainties. Then it hit me. What Drax embraced was the family he was given unexpectantly in the Guardians and that gave him joy in the midst of life's pain and tragedy. Drax embraced everyday things that seem simple and small but are actually designed to give us a heart full of joy; family, purpose, and people to live that purpose out with. The best part about all of this for anyone reading this is that we all have a family in some way that has been given to us from God to give us the highest joy we can every attain, no matter how imperfect and painful life can be. God has given us family to help us through life, and to gain a heart for life along the way. Also, like Drax it also helps to not try and overthink life as well, that rarely helps either. So I suppose what GOTG through Drax The Destroyer is telling us is to be thankful for family, get over ourselves, and let go of the pain in this life by embracing the family in our lives; blood or creed, whichever. Embrace the friends at work, the gym, the coffee shop, neighborhood, and local worship or church community, these entities are all right around us for a reason. Thankfully, God is always looking to give those things to us if our hearts are open, and joy as a result.
I like writing stuff about current issues, movies, sports and culture with a theological twist. Follow me at @howardlee58 or @ibleedtitanblue on Twitter for more content.
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